Thursday, April 9
If you have an immediate need, call (607) 288-3252
As always, community members looking for more information on local health resources and resources related to COVID-19 can contact 2-1-1 by calling 1-877-211-8667 or visiting 211tompkins.org
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Page
Mutual Aid Tompkins Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Immediate Needs Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Food Systems Facebook Group
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Form
Mutual Aid Tompkins Community Resource Folder
Donate
We are neighbors concerned about our communities and helping to make sure those most vulnerable and affected by COVID-19 get the support they need. We are volunteer run, with no paid staff, and our aid comes directly from the community. We have created a PayPal & Venmo account and the money donated is going directly to people who have made requests through our immediate needs page. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fundraiser that is in partnership with Tompkins County Worker's Center, You can also make donations through PayPal here and our Venmo here. Thank you!
Need Help Finding Help? Contact 2-1-1 Tompkins Cortland. I just want to remind people of this help desk and referral service. Callers are referred to service providers according to their needs. 2-1-1 may follow up with callers, when appropriate, to ensure that contact was made and to offer further assistance if needed. Some common questions include locations to find food, legal issues with housing, how to access healthcare, and finding employment. 2-1-1 is active 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. To access 2-1-1 by text, message your zip code to TXT211 or 898211. Texting service is available Mon-Fri 9:00 am – 4:00 pm). You can also access 2-1-1 services by email (iandr@hsctc.org) or by visiting their website.
Local
Tompkins County Health Department has announced two more positive cases, along with three more recoveries. The five individuals that have been hospitalized remained as of Thursday evening.
Keep flattening the curve - Tompkins County was ranked highest for social distancing in the CNY Region. Full report here.
Law School clinical programs offer legal aid during crisis. “Cornell Law School faculty, students and staff are responding to the coronavirus pandemic by offering legal services to businesses and individuals in central New York. The assistance runs the gamut, from helping businesses and workers in the region access new benefits to supporting families in immigration detention centers at risk for the virus and working with low-income residents remotely to finalize their wills.”
The United Way of Tompkins County is asking those who are interested in volunteer opportunities to complete their volunteer form on the website. FIll out the form and continue to stay engaged with United Way of Tompkins as our community continues to work through the effects of COVID-19 and beyond!
In an effort to continue to “flatten the curve” in Tompkins County, and keep the community healthy and safe, moving forward United Way will only be recruiting individuals for on-site volunteer opportunities who meet the criteria below.
On-site volunteers must:
· Live alone or with only 1 other person
· Have not been outside the Central NY/Southern Tier Region in past 30 days
· Have not been ill in the past 30 days
· Have not had an ill member of their close social circle in the past 30 days
Remote Volunteer Opportunity
Community members and their family can help raise the spirits of some of those who are isolated and lonely. Send a photo of artwork, a letter/story/poem or a video that can be shared to residents living alone who have requested some spirit-lifting. Send submissions to SendASmileTompkins@gmail.com . You can also visit Mutual Aid Tompkins: Immediate Needs . Please feel free to share this as you wish!
Tompkins County DMV is handling registration renewals, new registrations, and plate surrenders by mail. 301 Third STreet, Ithaca, New York 14850.
Health
Reminder that the testing center at the The Shops at Ithaca Mall were closed today, Thursday, and will be closed Friday due to weather. The testing facility will be open on Saturday from 10-3pm.
Transportation solution for those who need to access testing for COVID19 but don’t have a personal vehicle. If someone does not have access to transportation for the COVID-19 drive-thru Sampling Center at the Ithaca Mall the County is asking that they first register for testing at http://cayugahealth.org or by calling 607-319-5708. Then they can call 2-1-1 to schedule a safe and free ride with ASAP Cab Company. They have installed a plastic barrier between the driver and the back seat of each vehicle and have instituted a thorough disinfection process which will be used between each ride following NYS Department of Health guidelines.
Guidelines for sharing the outdoors during COVID19. Public parks and trails in particular are wonderful outlets for everyone right now. As we all head outside however let's try and remember how important social distancing is even on these trails. A new study underscores the need for even greater distances between people during activity to avoid inhaling droplets exhaled into the “slipstream” of the person in front of you. The scientists advise that for walking, the distance of people moving in the same direction in 1 line should be at least 4–5 meters, for running and slow biking it should be 10 meters, and for hard biking at least 20 meters.
Tompkins County Mental Health Services. An update on mental health services from our Mental Health Department and partner providers has been posted to the county website. These services include for example: therapy, classes, and other services being offered via Zoom, nursing, crisis, and intake services offered in-person with safety protocols. Other critical agencies with info on that website include Cayuga Medical Center, Family & Children’s Service, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, Alcohol & Drug Council, and others.
Food
Free Food Resources here.
Tompkins Home Delivery is taking requests for donations of food with delivery. Donation request form here
Way2Go is working to keep the community informed of the various transportation changes and developing solutions arising in response to COVID-19. Please read and share these and other transportation-related updates at Way2Go.org or the Way2Go Facebook page.
Emergency & Regular Food Delivery Call 2-1-1 between 8:30 am to 5 pm for help getting emergency or regular food delivery. For emergency food delivery, your information will go to United Way who is organizing food delivery via Gadabout from the food hub.
2-1-1 operators at the Human Services Coalition will help answer your questions and connect you to local food assistance agencies and other helpful resources. This is the best way for someone without the internet to seek help, so please spread the word about this service to those who may benefit.
Deliver goods by bike, support local businesses with your bike needs, and/or help individuals get bikes to use for their mental and physical wellbeing. “Bike Walk Tompkins is not directly coordinating and matching volunteers with needs; rather we are getting the word out and the reminder that bikes can be excellent tools for essential trips.” https://www.bikewalktompkins.org/covid-19
Free dog food giveaway from the SPCA. The SPCA has been receiving generous donations of dog food and they want to pass some of it on to folks who are struggling to feed their pets right now. If you need dog food, please go to the Intake Building parking lot (the shorter of the SPCA’s two buildings) on April 11th, between 10 and 11 AM. Wait in your car, roll down a window, and staff will bring food to you. (for everyone’s safety hey would like to minimize human-to-human contact). This event is for dog food only, no cat food or other supplies will be available, but keep your eye on their website for additional upcoming food pantry events. No reservations are required for this event. Please send a friend if any in your family is sick, has been tested, or is under observation for COVID19.
Purchase, Designate, and distribute food through Shortstop Deli: Loaves & Fishes, The Learning Web, GIAC, Ithaca Housing Authority and Catholic Charities--can optimize use of Shortstop gift cards for groceries and ready-to-eat foods because their low-income program participants are in close proximity to Shortstop. To participate, call Shortstop (607) 273 – 1030, donate a gift card, and designate to one of the five collaborating agencies listed above.
Benefits:
Young adults and families in-need will receive direct food assistance.
Providers serving low income Ithacans can increase, or in some cases simply maintain, their ability to address food scarcity.
Service employees at Shortstop will not lose their jobs.
A locally owned business with a strong community-orientation—Shortstop Deli—will have a better chance of continued economic viability in these dire times.
Events
The Ithaca Fourth of July fireworks put on annually by the Rotary Club have been canceled (according to Mayor Myrick Facebook).
Other
The History Center in Tompkins County has created a series of FREE History at Home activity sets for school age children inspired by local history.
These include writing, crafting, coloring, and building programs inspired by the Tommy Plane, Ithaca Kitty, and our history as a silent film hotspot in the early 1900's. Certain activities were created in collaboration with the schools and qualify for ELA goals (noted on specific activity pages). We currently have completed the All About Tommy (5 activities inspired by the Tommy Plane in our Exhibit Hall), The Ithaca Kitty (4 activities inspired by the world famous polydactyl Caesar Grimalkin), and the Tompkins County Coloring Book (11 images depicting local scenes, public spaces, and historic objects from Tompkins County).All activities can be downloaded for FREE from our website at www.thehistorycenter.net/youth-education We encourage educators, caregivers, and parents with children (or just creative and bored adults!) at home to download these and enjoy! We'd love to see the creations that come from these projects, you can share pictures with us at eightsquare@thehistorycenter.net or by tagging us in any social media posts @tompkinshistory #historyathome
State
Direct to citizen stimulus checks are scheduled to begin distributing via direct deposit next week. A fourth stimulus package is being worked on in Congress.
To help develop a treatment, Governor Cuomo is asking all New Yorkers who have recovered from COVID-19 to contact the state and donate blood. Individuals who tested positive and then recovered from the virus may have convalescent plasma in their blood, which has antibodies against the virus and could help with the development of a treatment for the virus. More information about how to donate is available here.
The State Department of Labor will immediately make $600 in additional weekly unemployment benefits available to all New Yorkers. New York is also extending the period covered by unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks, for a total of 39 weeks. A reminder for those who have difficulty enrolling for UI: any claim you file will be backdated to the date you became unemployed. If you are eligible, you will be paid all benefits due.
To honor those we have lost to COVID-19, Governor Cuomo is directing all flags on state government buildings to be flown at half-staff. Every single New Yorker we have lost to this vicious virus is in our hearts. The flags will remain lowered while New York remains on PAUSE.
Governor Cuomo will issue an Executive Order to ensure New Yorkers can vote by absentee ballot in the June 23rd elections. Previously, one needed a reason to request an absentee ballot, such as being away from your county on election day, permanent illness or disability, or incarceration. This executive order will waive that legal requirement and allow anyone to avoid voting in-person. While it hasn’t been updated to reflect the executive order, you can get information and apply for an absentee ballot at the NYS Board of Elections website.
Governor Cuomo launched a social media campaign to encourage people to stay home to protect the ones we love. The campaign encourages New Yorkers to share who they are staying home for and want to protect. Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Romeo Santos, and Giancarlo Stanton are among those who have joined the campaign. Share an image and story of who you are trying to protect on social media with the hashtags #IStayHomeFor and #NewYorkTough and tag your friends to spread the word.
Census news. To date the about 1/3rd of county residents have been officially counted. April 1 was “Census Day” but if you have not sent in your form or filled it out online there is still time. New Yorkers' fair share of federal funds for programs essential to health care, education, housing, economic development and transportation, as well as our congressional representation in Washington, all depends on an accurate and fully-counted census response. It only takes a few minutes, but your impact will last for years. Learn more about the census at the official NYS website.
Federal
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre issued an activity alert titled, COVID-19 Exploited by Malicious Cyber Actors. This joint alert seeks to address the growing use of COVID-19-related themes by malicious cyber actors and it can be found here: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/aa20-099a.
